Phishing trends that persisted throughout 2018
In reviewing the Q4 2018 most clicked subject lines, Knowbe4 identified these trends. Five subject line categories appeared quarter-over-quarter throughout 2018, including:
Deliveries
Passwords
Company Policies
Vacation
IT Department (in-the-wild)
(You can compare past quarterly findings here.)
Additionally, three “in-the-wild subject lines” were clicked three out of four quarters and included Amazon, Wells Fargo and Microsoft as keywords.
Users are concerned about security
“Clicking an email is as much about human psychology as it is about accomplishing a task,” said Perry Carpenter, chief evangelist and strategy officer at KnowBe4. “The fact that we saw ‘password’ subject lines clicked four out of four quarters shows us that users are concerned about security. Likewise, users clicked on messages about company policies and deliveries each quarter showing a general curiosity about ... Read More
AI is changing how we do things fast
Are you worried about keeping up with all the new tech at work? If you don't learn it now, you might fall behind and lose your job. But here's some good news. You can get ahead of the curve!
AI for Beginners is your solution
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a guide that is written for someone who doesn’t already know everything? AI for Beginners is a book that can teach you all about artificial intelligence. It's written in easy words, so anyone can understand. You'll learn how to use artificial intelligence for research, writing and even making music. These are skills that can make you stand out at work.
Don't wait until it's too late to learn. Your job ... Read More
February 7, 2025Mark Anthony Germanos
Social engineering creates $1.8 Million dispute
Dentons Canada LLP is locked in a $1.7 Millon dispute with its insurer after staff at the firm’s Vancouver office fell victim to an alleged social engineering attack.
Here is an extract from the article with a link to the full article below: "According to Ontario Superior Court Justice Carole Brown’s recent decision in Dentons Canada LLP v. Trisura Guarantee Insurance Company, an associate at the firm was duped into transferring $2.5 million intended to clear the mortgage on a client’s property into a fraudster’s Hong Kong bank account as part of an alleged “social engineering” fraud.
Transfer of funds not fraudulent
Although the law firm managed to recover around $800,000, it made a claim for its net loss under a computer fraud ... Read More
February 5, 2025Mark Anthony Germanos
The risks that worry us
What keeps you up at night? These are the biggest risks facing our world in 2019. Top world leaders were surveyed for the latest edition of the World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report. Environmental threats dominate the list for the third year in row - both in terms of impact and likelihood.
“Of all risks, it is in relation to the environment that the world is most clearly sleepwalking into catastrophe,” the report warns. What are the Top 10 biggest ? The report offers a unique perspective on the threats facing our world, by looking at not only those that are most likely, but also those that would have the biggest impact. Check out #4:
What worries IT leaders?
When KnowBe4 recently asked IT leaders ... Read More
February 5, 2025Mark Anthony Germanos
Tax season is new window of opportunity...for cybercriminals
Experts warn of uptick in phishing attacks against businesses leveraging Office 365 as the tax season begins, tensions run high, and opportunities to trick off-guard users will be plenty.
Cybercriminals want two things to exist when they attack: First, they want a gullible victim who will fall for a scam email. Second, they want either an immediate payoff, or a quick way to gain access to data that will turn into money quickly.
So, the combination of Office 365 users and tax season create a volatile and dangerous mix for businesses. Phishing scams related to taxes not being filed, unexpected refunds, changes to banking details, or huge tax bills are sufficient enough to get unsuspecting users to click on malicious ... Read More
February 5, 2025Mark Anthony Germanos
The phish attack obtained banking details
Three Wichita State University employees fell prey to a common phish attack asking for their credentials, giving cybercriminals access to change banking details.
We’ve said it time and time again: the cybercriminals do their homework. In the case of the attack on WSU employees, cybercriminals spoofed the university’s payroll system and sent emails to employees tricking them into providing their university ID and password. That was all the attackers needed to gain full control to the employee’s profile, personal data, and most importantly – banking information.
Where's my paycheck?
It wasn’t until a number of employees did not receive their paychecks that the scam was found out. At least three members of the WSU staff fell for the scam, allowing cybercriminals to alter the ... Read More
February 5, 2025Mark Anthony Germanos
Cybersecurity starts with your users
Your cybersecurity trained employees are a central component of your security posture, according to Freaky Clown (FC), CEO and Head of Ethical Security at Cygenta.
FC is a professional red teamer who tests the security of organizations by breaking into them. FC talked to Carole Theriault in part two of an interview on the CyberWire’s Hacking Humans podcast.
FC says that managers are often surprised by how far he can get without being caught, because employees don’t know to watch out for threats. He describes a number of unusual situations in which he has convinced employees to participate in strange activities, such as building teepees with their coats as a team building exercise, or setting up a bar in a government building. “You can ... Read More
February 5, 2025Mark Anthony Germanos
Passwords get stolen and sold
The bad guys are constantly coming out with new ways to hack into your network and steal your organization’s confidential information.
Verizon's recent Data Breach Report showed that 81% of hacking-related breaches used either stolen or weak passwords. And, a new survey from Dark Reading shows 44% of organizations say users pose the greatest threat to data security!
Find out if your users are putting a big target on your organization’s back
KnowBe4’s Password Exposure Test (PET) is a new and complimentary IT security tool that allows you to run an in-depth analysis of your organization’s hidden exposure risk associated with your users.
PET makes it easy for you to identify users with exposed emails publicly available on the web, and checks your Active Directory to see if they are using weak or compromised ... Read More
February 5, 2025Mark Anthony Germanos
AI and facial recognition are dangerous
As I proofread this post, Facebook users are jumping on a new fad. They are posting pictures of themselves 10 years ago and today. They do this to show much they have aged, or have not aged, in 10 years. I think this is dangerous. AI can take these facial images, superimpose your face on an image and then defraud you.
This starts to be more than a bit concerning. The faces in this post (below) look like pretty normal humans. They could be social media shots. However, they were generated by a recent type of algorithm: generative adversarial network, or GAN.
Nvidia researchers Tero Karras, Samuli Laine, and Timo Aila posted details of the method to produce completely imaginary fake faces with ... Read More
February 5, 2025Mark Anthony Germanos
When people mention AI, or artificial intelligence, do you feel lost?
Do you feel confused when your coworkers talk about AI? You're not alone! Many people don't understand artificial intelligence, and that can be scary. It is becoming a big part of many jobs. If you don't learn about it soon, you might lose your job.
Work faster and smarter
The good news is… there's an easy way to catch up. The book AI for Beginners can teach you all about artificial intelligence in simple words. It explains things like how artificial intelligence helps with research and writing. You'll learn how to work faster and smarter.
Don't let yourself feel lost anymore. If you don't learn it now, you might lose out on job opportunities or worse, lose your ... Read More
February 5, 2025Mark Anthony Germanos